Ive leveled up in Classic era with a show playing on my 2nd monitor, kind of auto piloting my way through the world.
In HC though I’m actively engaging with the game… getting food, buying consumables, looking for gear up grades, reading what the quest actually wants me to do to see if it is worth the risk.
Hc has been great so far, and those close calls I’ve had so far definitely had me at the end of my seat.
Gnolls, Murlocs and Kobolds are the worst
Had a random pally save my level 19 mage last night with LoH when murlocs hyperspawned on me. I don’t think I have ever thanked someone as much in a video game.
It’s not even that they are hard mobs, it’s the mob density
Ya, and the mix of casters/melee can cause a lot of issues. Dazed/slowed by frostbolt in Redridge is claiming a lot of souls (like my first toon).
I think this is why I’ve liked HC Classic - in retail I just auto accept quests then follow the way point marker to the items I have to click on. Now, holy moly, I really have to be active and engage! And be cautious about everything!
exactly. HC actually forces you to… you know, PLAY. and it actually feels like a whole new game because of this. 
I’ll never forget the level 9 tauren hunter who saved my mana tapped druid caught in a net from a rare who surprised me. He didn’t survive the rescue, but ill never forget.
F
#NeverForget
Solo self found is even better. You get to use all the different systems in the game you never would have glanced twice at in any other playthrough. A green drops and it feels like an epic. An onslaught of dopamine hits.
I hope they add an official mode for that. Because it’s even better when it’s a shared experience with other people all talking about what they found, etc.
yeah we really do need those achievements put in; it would be very cool to see HC communities forming around them.
Ironman as well. I have a naked, no talents, white vendor wand, soloist back on BB. Would be a dream come true to have an official way to do it.
This is why HC feels more like 2004-2005 WoW than 2019 Classic ever did. Leveling is slower and closer to what it was like back then.
It also didn’t help that 2019 Classic everyone knew the meta and just immediately slammed full clears of MC and BWL and quickly got insane raid loot. That won’t be the case on HC, just like it wasn’t the case in 2005.
Classic is the greatest experience of any video game of all time. I have pw: fortitude for a massive 2 stamina pw: shield, sw: pain and smite. I feel so engaged its unbelievable. I saw a murloc and used sw pain and saw the word resist so i tried again this time it hit then as I was casting smite. up came resist twice and when the murloc started assaulting me i used pw shield and saw miss over my head. as i tried again i saw a red message saying not enough mana. right click auto attack it is and again miss, block, parry, oh the nuber3 over the murlocs head. Pw: shield and voila i have a shield cast smite not enough mana. use bandage then cast smite resist 
oh I think I’m gonna die.
uh, pretty sure pw shield can’t miss
Nah it isn’t.
Going into dungeons and engaging with each others feels more hardcore than grinding boars cause I’m ssf and have terrible weapons
i always use it just prior to engaging and it does hit sometimes not to mention when you get hit by melee and it says fail as the absorb fails lol just like the mage fire or frost resist fails sometimes.
Well, hardcore is more of a game of patience and knowledge. I know people like to use it as some sort of superiority thing. And hardcore generally has the connotation of skill based gameplay. But this is much more of just a different way of playing. I mean sure, one can play it in a risky manner and then gloat about it. But the smartest way to play hardcore is slow and steady. Knowing what quest to do and what quests to avoid. What areas to not stick around in. Good spots to grind out instead of picking up the quests. Etc.
Some might find that boring and unfun. And that’s fine.
I’m excited when I loot scrolls now, where I’ve just sold them to a vendor for years.
THIS im saving the odd comodety rewards im getting from quest that I’ve vendored for years